Those who know a thing or two about websites and web hosting know that Dedicated Hosting is the ultimate hosting solution. Though it is not meant for everybody, it serves its purpose rather well where it is needed. It delivers uncompromising performance, making it the choice of companies who want all that performance, and privacy and security, for their websites.
And the performance can be bettered further, without compromising on the other aspects, by choice of the storage media. There are two choices available to you:
- Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
- Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD is a proven technology that has proved itself over the years. SSD, not the other hand, is a relatively new technology that has gone mainstream only in the last few years. Both of these have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice of one over the other depends on your preferences, provided you know all there is to know. Following are the significant differences between SSD and HDD that will help you make the relevant choice while buying a Dedicated Server.
Difference Between SSD and HDD Dedicated Hosting
| Parameters | HDD Dedicated Hosting | SSD Dedicated Hosting |
| Performance | An HDD uses an actuated arm and rotating magnetic disks to operate. This means that whenever the user puts in a request, the arm physically rotates to find the data. This can be highly time-consuming. | The SSD has no moving parts, which makes it faster than HDD Dedicated Hosting. On average, an SSD is 4X faster than an HDD. The higher speed has a noticeable difference on your website’s page load speeds, especially if it is a database-driven website with a lot of data. Faster websites offer much better user experience and get more traffic. |
| Reliability | Because of its moving parts, an HDD has a greater probability of hardware failure than an SSD. Also, it will experience more wear and tear throughout the course of its use. | SSDs are typically more resistant to physical shocks giving them a big edge over regular HDDs. With an almost negligible chance of a breakdown, SSD hosting offers a higher uptime than HDD hosting. Higher uptime results in more credibility for your website. |
| Cost | This is where HDD hosting has an advantage over SSD hosting. Since HDD has been around for longer, it costs significantly less than SSD, which is relatively new. This difference in cost is also reflected in the pricing gap of the hosting plans, with HDD Dedicated Servers being cheaper. | Solid State Drives are a newer technology, and coupled with the guarantee of better speed and performance, SSD-based Dedicated Servers cost higher than their HDD counterparts. However, this gap is gradually decreasing as the cost of hardware has been dropping steadily. |
| Efficiency | The moving parts of an HDD make it more power-hungry than an SSD. This affects its efficiency as it needs more power to function. | The absence of moving parts makes SSD an ideal choice for hosting because of its higher efficiency and environment-friendly operation. The energy savings that a hosting provider gains are often passed down to customers in the form of lower prices. |
These are the main differences between SSD and HDD Dedicated Hosting. While HDDs are cost-efficient, SSDs are proving to be the choice for speed, performance and efficiency. Dedicated Hosting is among the fastest web hosting solutions, and the choice of the storage drive can further optimise the speed and performance of the hosting server. So, assess your hosting requirements and research your options carefully before buying a Dedicated Server plan.